Lamine Yamal has broken his silence with a message to Ousmane Dembélé after the 2025 Ballon d’Or ceremony at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on Monday night.
Dembélé made history as the first PSG player to win the prestigious award, thanks to a remarkable campaign that saw him register 35 goals and 16 assists.
Source: Getty Images
Reports suggest the French winger won the vote with ease, finishing ahead of Yamal, while their Parisian teammate Vitinha secured third place.
“This is an award thanks to the collective. I want to thank all my teammates,” Dembele said during his acceptance speech.
He added:
“I want to thank my hometown Eure. Every time I get the chance I go back. The people in my neighbourhood helped me to this moment.”
Although he missed out on becoming the youngest Ballon d’Or winner in history, Yamal still made his mark by clinching back-to-back KOPA trophies.
The 18-year-old later took to social media to share a message for Dembélé, just months after previously calling him out ahead of their Nations League semi-final showdown.
On Instagram, Yamal wrote:
“God’s plan is perfect, you have to climb to get to the top. Happy for the Kopa Trophy x2 and congratulations to Dembele for the award and his great season.”
While accepting the KOPA trophy ahead of the Ballon d’Or announcement, Yamal confessed that he wasn’t certain he was ready to claim the ultimate crown.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for the big trophy! Maybe we’ll see each other later,” he joked.
Yamal’s second-place finish makes him the youngest player ever to be named Ballon d’Or runner-up, surpassing Ronaldo Nazario, who was 20 when he achieved the feat in 1996.
The Spaniard wasn’t the only Barcelona player in the top ten, as Raphinha finished fifth—a result that reportedly left his Brazil teammate Neymar Jr. unhappy.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Source: Yen.com.gh
